Richard Whitehead: London Olympic legacy will be boosted by return of Games

Confident: Whitehead says London can recapture the magic of London 2012 after landing the 2017 IPC World Athletics Championships. (Picture: Getty)

British Paralympic hero Richard Whitehead is confident the capital can recapture the magic of London 2012 after landing the 2017 IPC World Athletics Championships.

The International Paralympic Committee has announced the event will be held at the Olympic Stadium in July 2017, a month before the venue stages the IAAF World Athletics Championships.

It will be the first time the same city has hosted the two championships back-to-back and sprint gold medallist Whitehead says it shows the two events are being seen on level terms.

‘It will be a fantastic opportunity to build on the legacy of London 2012,’ said Whitehead, who stormed to 200metres gold in the T42 category.

‘To schedule the IPC worlds first shows confidence the interest in Paralympic athletics will keep growing.

‘It will be interesting to see if we get the same buzz with the roles reversed but after what happened this year I’m convinced it will.’

‘I’m just delighted.’

The likes of David Weir, Hannah Cockroft, Jonnie Peacock and Whitehead became household names in front of 80,000 crowds last summer.

And marathon world record holder Whitehead – who smashed his own global mark for the half-lap sprint in London – reckons the next crop of track-and-field stars will want a slice of the action in five years’ time.

‘It will be a huge incentive for the younger athletes,’ added the 36-year-old.

‘Having watched in the summer, they can sample that for themselves.

‘It was an incredible atmosphere and I’d certainly love to experience it again. I hope to be there.’

Mayor Boris Johnson, who submitted a bid for the bi-annual event last month said: ‘London’s Paralympic Games were the first ever to sell out and these championships provide a perfect chance to build on that enthusiasm for disabled sport.’